A throw blanket is a necessity in your home just as your favorite cookie is with a cup of hot tea.

A relaxing summertime project keeps you cozy with endless possibilities.

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Amy Butler

Amy Butler

A throw blanket is a necessity in your home just as your favorite cookie is with a cup of hot tea. These are simple comforts you deserve. They refresh your spirit even during the warmest days of summer when you begin to crave a break from the heat. Here, contributing editor and fabric designer Amy Butler creates a reversible-throw sewing pattern that offers the chance to cuddle up with a personal handmade creation of your own. As Amy says, "Why shouldn't you have one?" Minty green, cool pinks, and purple hues generate a vibrant yet soothing air. "They remind me of Indian silk scarves and vintage Asian patterns," she explains. Simple stripes and ornate paisleys applied to her tropical color palette convey the fabrics' country charm.

Colin McGuire

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Front Throw Quilt

Front Throw Quilt

Your design: "Even a beginning quilter can't go wrong with this pattern," says Amy. Indeed, it offers a number of easy options for color and construction that will help you personalize your throw.

Amy Butler

A throw blanket is a necessity in your home just as your favorite cookie is with a cup of hot tea. These are simple comforts you deserve. They refresh your spirit even during the warmest days of summer when you begin to crave a break from the heat. Here, contributing editor and fabric designer Amy Butler creates a reversible-throw sewing pattern that offers the chance to cuddle up with a personal handmade creation of your own. As Amy says, "Why shouldn't you have one?" Minty green, cool pinks, and purple hues generate a vibrant yet soothing air. "They remind me of Indian silk scarves and vintage Asian patterns," she explains. Simple stripes and ornate paisleys applied to her tropical color palette convey the fabrics' country charm.

Colin McGuire

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Front Throw Quilt

Your design: "Even a beginning quilter can't go wrong with this pattern," says Amy. Indeed, it offers a number of easy options for color and construction that will help you personalize your throw.

Colin McGuire

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Purple Floral Quilt

Above is a striped design for the back. "You have the choice of making a solid-color backing, which would take less time," explains Amy. "Having a striped back, though, gives the throw added life and variety."

Amy Butler Gazes at Her Patchwork

PATCHWORK HOW-TO 1. Choosing fabrics: Pick fabrics you like but try to vary dramatic scales of patterns to keep the design more interesting, energetic, and fun. Choose vintage fabrics that are medium-weight and in good condition.2. Prewash and press: Wash fabrics before cutting your pieces to reduce shrinkage issues later on. Iron fabrics to reduce wrinkles, stretching, and to allow smoother cutting.

Colin McGuire

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Sewing

3. Layout: To create rhythm and a colorful flow within your design, arrange fabrics before pinning to assure proper balance.4. Pinning: Pin fabrics together in sections and rows. Larger strips are more practical and make the project easier to come back to.

Colin McGuire

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Amy Butler Purple Patchwork Pillow

For these pillows, quilt constructor Marsha Moore used Amy Butler's new fabric creation Temple Flowers from her Free-Spirit fabric line. Vintage prints can also be used for this project. For more on Amy Butler's fabrics, visit amybutlerdesign.com.